Your CV: Innovative New Ideas

Your CV is a pretty critical document. It goes ahead of you. It tells a story. It influences. It persuades. It gets you found. But your CV can be the opposite of all that too. It can be a powerless.

Here’s one idea inspired by Seth Godin (marketing guru)  to make an improvement.

Seth Godin wrote a few days back about 2 approaches to marketing. One is where you say to the customer: “What do you want?” And then give it to them. The other is: “Here’s what I have for you. Choose.”

Which is best? He used the analogy of a restaurant to explain.

Say you go to a restaurant. And instead of offering you a menu, they ask, “what would you like?” As – amazing – as that sounds, actually, for me, that wouldn’t be that great. It requires too much thinking. Suddenly when faced with all that choice, the offer isn’t that compelling, I’m not sure what to do. I hesitate.

Instead restaurants offer a menu. Like this (droool!):

• Black Forest Double Chocolate Cake – decadent, rich chocolate cake packed with brandy soaked cherries.
• Peach Melba – Peaches sautéed in rum over vanilla ice cream topped with fresh raspberries and sauce.

Yes, droool! So the choice is limited. But, man, it catches the imagination. So much better than, “what would you like?”

So when job hunting, with your CV, in job interviews, what’s your approach? Do you …

1) Present your experience, qualifications and then say, “what do you think, can I do something for you?”

Or do you …

2) Present a small number of really exciting benefits / results you can deliver – backed up with examples:

• how as an Administrator you implemented a process that sped up customer service by 50%;
• how as an Engineer your idea for a new design / product led to an 37% increase in sales so that the division exceeded budget by 23% in the 1st year and by 63% the 2nd year;
• how because of your organizational abilities as a PA, your boss has never missed a flight or mislaid a single document;
• how because of your relationship building skill, as a Sales Rep you’ve often won new accounts away from the competition (even though your prices are higher).

Is your CV a ‘menu’ of benefits to the employer? Quicker service; increased sales; total reliability; business growth? Or is it a list of personal details, duties and responsibilities – hoping that the employer will – somehow?? – get turned on by it enough to pick up the phone to call you.

[It’s this kind of ‘entrepreneurial’ thinking I teach within my member’s only INNER CIRCLE called Career & Success. It’s cheap to join. Go here: www.careerandsuccess.info]

Ever wanted your CV to be an instant hit with a recruiter / HR person / or an employer?

Here are 6 questions that run through their mind, this is how they think. Once we understand it, we can start looking for ways to capitalize (or just plain, give them what they want.)

So imagine, a CV appears in the inbox – “ping” – they open it – “clickity click”.

1st they scan the body of the e-mail.

They’re looking for a clue as to what it’s about. It’s subconcious. What pops up at them? Anything? Nothing?

Thus far they’re driven by a few things. Curiosity, maybe. Genuine interest, unlikely. Hope that you can solve a problem for them, maybe. Duty, perhaps. Boredom, quite possibly (any distraction is better than what they may be busy with.) Excitement, only if they’re new.

Cynical maybe (of me), but always no matter who they are there’s usually the knowledge that your application could be important for them.

So you have a few seconds of their attention. And if you make use of a short, sharp, to the point, bulleted list of reasons that’ll show – with hard relevant facts (VS soft, fluffy, or meaningless claims of being “hard working” and a “broad based specialist”) –  that you have something for them, something relevant (used again on purpose!), something credible, then perhaps they’ll move on to your attached CV with a positive feeling (always good).

Then they open the CV. And what are they thinking?

• What does this guy do? (They want to understand where you may fit into the ‘machine’ that is their business / their clients’ business.)
• Does he have what I value (it could be experience in a certain position, a certain qualification, a certain title, a certain achievement, or they may be looking for a certain personality – all of which solves a certain problem he’s got)?
• What does he want to do and where? (Would this guy actually want to do what I have in mind? Or is he off on some other track?)
• What’s special about him? (Remember “average” may actually be “special” – consistent, reliable, predictable, trustworthy.)
• What was his most recent job and what did he achieve? (Is this person any good at what they do? What did they achieve?)
• On a personal level is there any special? (People are curious and intrigued by people who do things – it may be you ran the Comrades, you help out at a hospice, you collect antique cars, you paid for your own university courses, etc)

These are the questions that run through their mind. And they are clues to a good CV.

Do we ever give the reader what they want? Or do we hide all these things away on page 4 and in a sub heading on page 9. Or not include them at all. Or never bring them to the fore. Or hope that the reader will join the dots and figure these things out for themselves.

If we can give them answers, if we can make it clear what’s special about us, what benefits we offer, what makes us credible, then we get attention. If we don’t, we risk being lost in the crowd.

Take a minute. Look at your CV. Imagine YOU’re the employer. Ask the questions.

What changes should you make? Make them.

[Or contact me at gerard [at] jobsearching.co.za for my personal help.

Have you considered having your CV written by someone? Be careful.

They say that it takes 10 000 hours to become an expert at something. And last week I had confirmed how true this is.

I got a call from “J”. He’d had his CV written by firm who call themselves the “career engineers”. I’m sure they’re great at something. Writing a CV is not that thing. I’m not going to run down their services (thus I haven’t given their name), variety is the spice of business.

However …

• What “J” wanted was his successes/achievements included. They hadn’t been?!?
• They’d also added their logo and advert to every page of his CV. (After he paid R800+)
• The CV was 13 pages long, c’mon! we’re in the 21st century here!
• There was no focus, no strategy, no careful thinking out of what the CV should achieve and what information was going to be best to include. It was just page after page of often irrelevant detail
• And it started out like this: “J is a broad based specialist …” What is a “broad based specialist?” Isn’t that a contradiction in terms, for one thing? And secondly, what is it? How does it help an employer? Why should anyone care?

I’m not the best CV writer. I make some spelling mistakes. I leave out a full stop. But what’s critical for me is …

• To get the strategy of the CV right – what’s it’s purpose, what’s the target?
• To figure what detail will impress and influence an employer
• To ask what will get immediate attention
• To use fresh, strong words  to pep the reading up, add energy
• To ask how can I format it or lay it out for maximum exposure and effect
• And to uncover the real person behind the facts

Those are the big issues. A full stop can always be added. But these big issues take time and experience (10 000 hours!)  to resolve.

So be judicious. I can’t possibly write everyone’s CV and there are a few other good CV writers out there. But feel free to run something past me if you’re uncertain. Just contact me directly on gerard [at] jobsearching.co.za.

[By the way, I’m well into my 2nd 10 000 hours.]

Y’know how when you visit a blog, for example, often in one of the sidebars (to the left or right of the main section) there’s a block. And in that block are a bunch of words. Sometimes they’re of varying sizes. It’s called a ‘word cloud’.

What’s the idea with it? It contains not just any words. But the keywords of the site. It’s a quick overview of what the website or blog is about. And each word is also a link to content related to that word.

So for example if the blog is about rugby, the word cloud may contain words such as:

super 14 – rugby world cup 2011 – pieter van der westhuizen – percy montgomery’s hairstylist – french rugby – rugby union rules – rugby league – aussie rules – rugby fixtures 2010 – brumbies – western province – the bulls – the sharks

So the ‘word cloud’ serves 2 purposes:

1. It gives a quick overview of what the site contains; and
2. It gives quick links to the information you’re looking for.

How can it be applied in a CV?

A CV is about creating the right impression. It seldom gets read word for word – unless serious interest is first established. Things a reader wants to know right up front are:

• Is this person what I need?
• Are they qualified and do they have the experience I need?
• How they done a great job?
• Who have they done the job for?

So a word cloud in a CV can help – how? for point #2 above. If you choose your keywords carefully – aligning them with the job ads you’re applying for and the keywords used in them – you have the opportunity to give a quick overview of the skills, knowledge and expertise you have.

These are very keywords the employer is using in their ad. So it creates an immediate ‘connection’ ‘synergy’ ‘familiarity’ with the mind of the reader / employer / recruiter. It says:

“Hey, I’ve got the right stuff here, read on, read on”.

If you’re in marketing and sales it may read something like this:

Marketing and Sales Strategy – Marketing Tactics – Branding – Advertising and Promotion – Sales Management – Managing Teams, Targets and Performance – Building Strategic Relationships – Customer Service

You can probably do a better job of yours, but there you are.

This isn’t ‘heavy weight’ information in the CV – recruiters prefer to see where the expertise has been applied, as part of a job (there are of course smart ways of doing that, in my CV writing for clients I’ve developed some cool ways). But it can work to just give the strong suggestion that you have the ‘goods’ and encourage the reader to continue.

I think it’s a good idea.

It’s not that often that you’re asked for a 1 page CV. But could it be a good strategy for you?

Well – your CV is there to make an impact for you. Boom! (in the words of Donkey/Eddie Murphy in Shrek). But let’s be straight – sometimes there’s just not that much to say that’s worthy of “Boom!” It happens.

So sometimes it’s an effective strategy to take what you have and make it really count. Making it more concise – 1 page – helps you to focus more attention on what you want attention focused on.

With 1 page there’s nowhere for the reader to go. And by highlighting carefully chosen words or elements (like key achievements) one has the chance to get a message accross with more “Boom!”.

But additionally: there is just something about a 1 pager CV that says: I’m confident; I don’t need lots of words to make me look good; I’m with it; I’m in the modern age.

Older job hunters especially pay attention: don’t reinforce the “old, left behind” stereotype by having a 10 page traditional CV. Rather take the risk of a one pager, highlighting your best big results. Rather cast the light on how you make a difference.

Your message can easily be diluted by lots of information. More information can always be added. But the chance to make a Boom first impression only happens once.

You will irritate recruiters with a 1 page CV. They will ask for more. But so what? If they’re calling you – impressed with the short version – that’s a big achievement and then you have the chance to dazzle them on the phone, in an interview or with additional focused material that builds further on your 1 pager.

Just some ideas. ‘Cause if you keep on doing the same old things, then you know what you can expect?!

[Of course getting it right is another matter. Maybe you need some help. Call me/e-mail me anytime for help with this. My CV writing services are there for you. My mail: gerard@jobsearching.co.za or go here for more.]

How much detail in a CV is enough, where does one draw the line? Let’s take an example.

Today, I wrote a CV for  a General Manager in a big manufacturing company. JSE listed, Rkazillions in turnover and revenue. And he’s at the head, responsible for making things work, shareholder value and all that.

So, does he need detail such as:

“Prepared and coordinated the annual budgets on a zero base budget method”

For what he’s aiming at (GM, Managing Director, etc type positions) is that going to help him get where he’s going? I don’t think so. Maybe I’m wrong?

So where do you draw the line in terms of how much detail goes in a CV? A couple of things come to mind:

1. Is the specific detail really that special? Or is it assumed? Take our GM – budgeting is pretty much an assumed function/skill (especially considering his Financial background). That he applied a certain methodology is perhaps even more un-important. That he did budgeting is unlikely to impress anyone. It’s not going to twist anyone’s arm into calling him in for an interview. Right?
2. One makes decisions about what to include or not based on what the position being applied for asks for and will ask for in the way of results. Again take the GM. He’s being – no doubt – asked to increase revenue, improve efficiency in service delivery, reduce costs, etc. So really focus has to be on that stuff – how he’s performed those tasks/challenges before. And the results achieved. One doesn’t want to dilute those aspects of the message by detail that may be 2nd or 3rd tier in importance.
3. Perhaps in the profession knowledge of certain methodologies, practices or legal frameworks IS of critical importance. They’re fundamental to whether you’re a suitable candidate or not. That’s another clue to whether detail should be included or not.

Sometimes in a CV – I see it in my CV writing Clients all the time – the response of the writer is to pack in the detail, sometimes desperately giving the impression that “this little detail may tip the scales in my favour”. But usually it won’t. Recruiters sometimes ask for “more detail” – but if they’re asking that it probably just means they’re not that interested – and instead of saying to you: “you just don’t have what we’re looking for” they ask for more detail.

At times sure they’re just drilling down to confirm you have exactly what their client is looking for. You have to be discerning. But your CV is there to present your best tier 1 detail – “10 Years as GM in a R300ml pa Company; Recent Achievements Include Turning a Division around from a R5ml loss to a R2.1ml Profit; BComm Hons Degree” etc.